Building a Sure Testimony: Three Lessons We Can Learn from Peter

From Peter’s example, we can learn how to strengthen our testimonies of the Savior.

Peter is an apostle we hear a lot about— he walked on water with Jesus Christ, cut off a Roman soldier’s ear, and became the lead Apostle after Christ’s death. He is a great example of an imperfect person who built and bore a fearless testimony of Christ. Terry B. Ball explains in his article “Whom Say Ye That I Am?: Peter’s Witness of Christ” that while Peter had the opportunity to walk with Christ, his testimony was built through simple actions that we can each do in our own lives.

1. 

   Photo by Shifaaz Shamoon.

   Peter received a witness of the Savior in his heart.

Even though Peter witnessed countless miracles, his sure witness came from the Holy Ghost. After Peter bore his testimony of Christ’s divinity, Jesus said to him, “Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17). 

2. Peter fulfilled his calling.

Peter was called to the overwhelming task of leading the Church after Christ was resurrected, and he was diligent in heeding the Savior’s call to “Feed my sheep” (John 21:17). 

3. Peter bore testimony fearlessly.

Although he was beaten and arrested, Peter courageously shared his testimony of the Savior. He declared, “We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). 

Let us learn from Peter’s good example. By listening to the Holy Ghost, fulfilling our callings, and bearing the testimonies we have now, we can become like the Savior and strengthen our testimonies of him.

Learn more about Peter in Terry B. Ball’s article “Whom Say Ye That I Am?: Peter’s Witness of Christ.” 

Source: The Religious Educator

—Emily Cook, Mormon Insights

FEATURE IMAGE BY LDS MEDIA LIBRARY

Find more insights

Discover more about the life of Peter in the Bible Dictionary.

Read more about how we can follow Peter’s example in Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s talk, “The First Great Commandment.”